The first thing you can do to reduce your emissions is understand them. Calculating your carbon emissions can help you become more sustainable as an individual, or a business, by targeting your efforts and resources where they are most effective. In assessing emissions, we split them into three scopes for businesses:

• Scope 1 - represents direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by your business - for example, on-site manufacturing or fuel use, refrigerant from air conditioners or chillers.

• Scope 2 - represents indirect emissions resulting from electricity consumed by the business, cooling, heating. You don’t own the power plant that emits the carbon to power your business, but your energy use drives those emissions.

• Scope 3 - often the most significant proportion, includes other indirect emissions along your entire supply chain. This includes emissions from suppliers production processes, employee travel, and the end of life disposal of your products. Despite being usually the largest, it is often the most complex to track.

There are many companies which now specialise in assessing your emissions and providing guidance on how to reduce them. It’s worth reaching out to them and explaining what is financially viable for your business as they may be flexible in what they can offer, or advise on grants that may apply. Many businesses and organisations have started to publish their emissions on an annual basis - having an appropriate and public sustainability strategy is also increasingly a prerequisite for fulfilling public sector contracts as large corporations and the public sector move towards their net zero goals. 

Another way to reduce your footprint is to reduce your consumption. The circular economy is a concept aimed at eliminating waste, and keeping products working, or in circulation as long as possible, while regenerating nature. Embedding these principles within your business or personal life can take many forms - from finding creative new ways to utilise waste products as valuable resources, to using or making products with a long life, and an end of life purpose, such as recycling. Becoming a more circular business can help you reap significant benefits. In Wales, your business may even qualify for innovation funding of up to £200,000 a year via the Circular Economy Fund. 

Carbon offsetting is a hotly debated topic - devised as a way to financially compensate for those emissions which cannot at present be completely removed. Reduction should always be prioritised with offsetting viewed as a last resort and not as a way to justify emissions. Offsetting projects can take many forms, from investing in green infrastructure that reduces emissions, to tree-planting or other nature-based work. They should be additional - meaning that the offsetting activity would not have taken place without the funds. Any carbon sequestered or offset should be permanent.